Planetary and Space Sciences PhD Program Handbook

Note to the Reader

This is the handbook version of June 6, 2025, which is the most current version. Some things to note:

This is the webpage version of the official handbook, which can be downloaded from the Department’s website (in Word format) and from the Graduate Catalog (in PDF). Since it is on a webpage, the formatting is somewhat different, but the content is the same.
You may see older versions in other UCF or department websites. The latest version is the appropriate version. Check the version/date.
We try to keep the correct links on this page, but if you notice something odd, let us know.
In case of conflicting info, the Graduate Catalog supersedes anything written here.

Navigating Policy and Resources at the University of Central Florida

This handbook is one of many sources to consult as you become familiar with the policies, procedures, requirements, resources, and norms of graduate education at the University of Central Florida.

How to Use This Handbook

This handbook provides information about and guidelines for the Department of Physics Planetary and Space Sciences PhD Program. There is some similarity in content to the analogous handbook for the Physics PhD and MS program, and to that of the Planetary Sciences Track within that Physics program, but this handbook also describes much information that is unique to the Planetary and Space Sciences PhD Program. The UCF Graduate Catalog descriptions in effect when a student was admitted take precedence over either handbook. This handbook is guidance, not a contract. Ultimately, the judgement of the advisor, Supervisory and Dissertation Committees, Planetary and Space Sciences Graduate Committee, and Planetary and Space Sciences Program Director take precedence. However, major departures from the procedures outlined here require the concurrence of the advisor, Supervisory or Dissertation Committee, and Planetary Graduate Committee.

Whom to Contact with Questions

Many of your questions will be answered by the various sources of policies, procedures, requirements, resources, and norms listed in these and other documents. Several key department and campus personnel are ready to answer your remaining questions, as listed below. There is also the general planets@ucf.edu email address that you can use.

Graduate Program Staff
- Ms. Esperanza Soto, Graduate Admissions Coordinator II, soto@ucf.edu, (407) 823-5146
- Ms. Aracelis Perez Lopez, Administrative Assistant I, aracelis.perezlopez@ucf.edu, (407) 823-2325 (dept.)
PSS Graduate Program Director
- Dr. Yan Fernandez, Professor, yan@ucf.edu, (407) 823-2325 (dept.)
College of Graduate Studies Services
- For general graduate inquiries and graduate student services from the College of Graduate Studies, please review the College of Graduate Studies website as an additional resource.

Onboarding

New students will be required to complete the requirements as part of their onboarding process:

Orientation – New students must attend the Department of Physics Graduate Program Orientation prior to the first day of class. In addition, new students may attend the College of Graduate Studies Graduate Student Orientation. International students must also attend a mandatory check-in session with UCF Global.
Meet with Graduate Program Director – New students will meet with the Planetary and Space Sciences Graduate Program Director to discuss any possible issues with first-semester course enrollment.
New Hire Paperwork – If applicable, new students hired on Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) or Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs) must complete new hire paperwork with the Department of Physics HR Team (for domestic students) or UCF Global Employment and Taxation Unit (for international students).
Required Training – New students must complete a series of required trainings prior to the first day of class or soon after: FERPA Training (see https://registrar.ucf.edu/training), EHS Training (see https://ehs.ucf.edu/training), and GTA Training (see https://graduate.ucf.edu/graduate-teaching/#GTA-Training-Requirements). In addition to the GTA training, international students must demonstrate proficiency at speaking English, hence they must register for and take a Versant English Test (though when applicable, students may request an exemption). All graduate students are also strongly encouraged to complete Security Awareness Training (https://infosec.ucf.edu/awareness/faculty-staff-security-guidelines/training/).
Enrollment – All students must enroll by the academic calendar deadline.

Introduction/Overview Section

Complete Name of Degree

Planetary and Space Sciences PhD

College

College of Sciences

Department

Physics Department

Program Type

Doctoral

Program Website

Planetary Sciences Group website, Physics Department graduate program website

Year of Program Inception

The Planetary and Space Sciences PhD program began at UCF in 2025. Before then, graduate degrees in the Planetary Sciences Track within the Physics MS and PhD programs had been available since the 2009-10 academic year.

Program Overview Narrative

The University of Central Florida’s Physics Department offers a PhD degree in Planetary and Space Sciences. Our goal is to foster a vibrant planetary and space sciences research environment that can attract top students, researchers, and faculty and contribute significantly to the exploration of space. The program is designed to prepare students to be competitive in the global planetary and space sciences research community. A list of alumni, and the diverse range of space-exploration occupations they currently cover, is available on our website. Note that there is currently no separate MS degree offered in this program; it is focused on the PhD degree (with a possibility of an MS “along the way” that is only for students who have advanced to candidacy).

Student Learning Outcomes/Competencies

During the first two years in the program, students will build a strong, physics-based background on core material that is common to all of planetary and space science. Students will also build a solid background knowledge of specialized areas of planetary and space science that are relevant to their research. Students will demonstrate their ability to conduct research by successfully completing at least one research project. PhD students will complete one project as part of their candidacy exam (among the requirements to advance to PhD candidacy) and a multi-faceted research project for their PhD dissertation. Students will learn to communicate research and thereby also become part of the global planetary and space science community by presenting their work in national and international meetings, as well as in peer-reviewed publications.

Student Expectations

University policy is that students have seven years from their start time in the graduate program to complete their degree, though students should aim to take less time than that. Students are expected to attend class, abide by the UCF Golden Rule, and maintain good academic standing. There is a natural sequence of events that students would follow to accomplish the graduate program milestones.

For PhD students, the sequence is as follows:

Create a Plan of Study – New students are expected to complete an initial Plan of Study by the end of their first semester in the graduate program. If a student wants to transfer credit from another program/institution to be used to satisfy some of the Planetary and Space Sciences program’s course requirements, then the Plan of Study must include this information, and the student is strongly encouraged to discuss credit transfers with the Graduate Program Director and the Graduate Admission Coordinator no later than the first week of their first semester in the program.
Have an Advisor and Form a Supervisory Committee – New students are expected to find a research advisor during their first semester in the program, form a supervisory committee (of at least 3 members) by the end of that first semester in the program, and have the first meeting with this supervisory committee by the end of their first year in the program. In a case where a student does not have a research advisor around the start of their first semester, a three-faculty committee will be assigned to the student, with the expectation that the committee membership will be modified once the student joins a research group.
Complete Core Courses – New students are expected to complete their core courses within the first two years in the graduate program.
Enroll in Directed Research – New students are expected to enroll in directed research (i.e. AST 6918) during their first and second summers in the program. In consultation with their advisor and supervisory committee, they may also be allowed to enroll in directed research during fall or spring semesters of the first two years in the program.
Complete Elective Courses – New students are expected to complete the 15 required credits of formal electives and 24 required credits of other electives by the end of their first semester of their third year in the program.
Complete Academic Integrity Training & Workshops – As described on the CGS website and in the Graduate Catalog, there is training that all graduate students must complete that will “instill awareness and understanding of the fundamental issues of ethics, academic integrity, and the responsible conduct of research….” There is one online (asynchronous) Webcourses course on ethics that new students must complete before the end of their first semester. There are two additional online (but synchronous) workshops that must be completed by the end of the student’s sixth semester (and before the candidacy exam).
Obtain Candidacy Status – New students are expected to advance to candidacy (a.k.a. “ABD”, “all but dissertation”) during their third year in the program. The primary – but not the only – requirement is that the student pass the written and oral parts of the candidacy exam. The student must also have: completed all the (non-Dissertation hours) coursework, formed a Dissertation committee, and submitted an approved Plan of Study. The Department Chair may grant extensions for documented exceptional reasons. Note that in most cases the Dissertation committee is the same as the Supervisory committee plus one additional member, and the Dissertation committee chair is the same person as the Supervisory committee chair, i.e. the student’s day-to-day research advisor.
Defend a Dissertation Proposal – Note that while a dissertation proposal is a required milestone, it is not a requirement for a student to advance to candidacy. However the dissertation proposal must be defended by the student and approved by their Supervisory or Dissertation committee at some point, and it is strongly recommended that the dissertation proposal be defended and approved before significant work on the dissertation has commenced. This proposal defense can happen any time (up to one semester) after the candidacy exam, even immediately after, on the same day. The proposal can happen before or after the student has formally advanced to candidacy.
Enroll in Doctoral Dissertation – Once a student obtains candidacy status, they are expected to enroll in at least three (3) credit hours of doctoral dissertation (i.e. AST 7980). Technically a student only has to enroll in AST 7980 once every three (3) consecutive semesters, but normally such enrollment will happen every post-candidacy semester (including the summer semester) until graduation. A student needs to complete a minimum of 15 credit hours for graduation.
Poster/Oral Presentations at Conferences, and Publications – Students are expected to present their research work at national and international conferences as opportunities become available. It is expected that the research carried out during a PhD program results in publications in peer-reviewed journals. While there is no blanket publication requirement for the dissertation defense, a dissertation committee can require that a student submit or publish some number of papers in reputable, peer-reviewed journals before graduation.
Complete all Post-Candidacy Requirements – A crucial part of finishing a PhD degree is the writing and defense of the dissertation. However there are other items that are required as well, i.e.: the format review, the final submission to UCF, and the exit interview. Students should stay cognizant of deadlines for all the tasks that are required before graduation.
7-Year Rule Completion Plan – Students in their 5^th year (or above) must complete a 7-Year Rule Completion Plan detailing any remaining milestones and expected completion dates.
Graduation – Students are expected to graduate after successfully defending their doctoral dissertation in or before their 7^th year.

Program Professional Conduct/Ethics Statement

Refer to the UCF Golden Rule for additional guidance.

Professional Development

Students may take advantage of several professional development opportunities on campus, such as graduate workshops, graduate research fair, and others. Additional information can be found in the CGS Professional Development website.

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) at UCF may enroll in “Preparing Tomorrow’s Faculty Program,” a program on teaching in higher education. The program is voluntary but intended for GTAs (though it is open to all UCF graduate students). Additional information about this program can be found at the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL) GTA website.

Also, every year the department and/or the College of Graduate Studies sponsor several graduate Award Recognitions. For additional information visit the department website and the CGS awards website.

Advising/Mentoring

Advising relationships are a central part of academia, important to both the experience and development of students and faculty members alike.

Formally, your advisor has two main roles: 1) To assist you in acquiring the highest possible level of knowledge and competence in the field, and 2) to chair the committees (i.e. Supervisory and Dissertation committees) that will determine whether you have performed at an acceptable level in each of your degree milestones. In addition to supervising your research work, other roles of your advisor include:

tracking your progress in completing your degree,
assisting with course selection,
planning your academic path,
helping you identify possible research collaborators,
broadening your research network,
integrating you into the research and professional communities.

Generally an advisor is also responsible for finding funding that will allow you to work as a GRA for some (or all) of your graduate career, although this is often somewhat variable due to fluctuations in funding proposal success rates.

It is the student’s responsibility to perform the research and follow the guidance provided by the advisor as well as the recommendations of the Supervisory/Dissertation committee.

Both the student and advisor are responsible for making their expectations clear to each other. Be sure to discuss this with your advisor early on at the start of the collaboration (and see below).

Many students will begin the program already having a research advisor lined up. Students who do not yet have a research advisor will be advised by the Graduate Program Director, but this is expected to be only a short-term scenario, as the student should find an advisor during their first semester in the program.

Students in a GTA position will be advised/mentored in matters related to teaching and their teaching duties by the department GTA Coordinator and by the instructor(s) of record to the course(s) they are assigned.

Finding and Selecting an Advisor

It is the student’s responsibility to identify a research advisor. Many students will have a research advisor already lined up by the time they start the program. For students who do not: It is expected that such students will actively search for a research advisor during their first semester in the program. Students are encouraged to contact faculty members of the Department of Physics to learn about their research projects and find out about research opportunities. All regular Physics faculty members – as well as joint and secondary joint faculty members affiliated to the Physics Department with Graduate Faculty standing at UCF – can supervise PhD dissertations. Note that several faculty at the Florida Space Institute and in the College of Optics and Photonics are thus eligible to be supervisors. Graduate Faculty Scholars may only serve as member, Co-Chair or Vice-Chair of a Dissertation Committee.

Your advisor should be a faculty member in the program whose expertise and project/research interests match closely with those that you intend to acquire. To learn more about the faculty in your program, consider consulting the following sources:

Courses and seminars you attend,
Our program and department website,
Faculty publications,
Students currently in a prospective advisor’s group/lab.

Additionally, you may wish to have a discussion with a prospective advisor. Below are some questions to consider asking in this discussion, though it is not a complete list. You should spend some time identifying what is most important to you in your graduate training and ask questions accordingly.

Questions to Ask of Prospective Advisors

What research projects would be available to me if I were to join your group?
Would these projects expose me to a variety of different approaches?
In general, how available will you be to answer questions I might have?
What is your philosophy regarding the amount of guidance the advisor should provide to a student during preparation of the thesis proposal, literature seminars, thesis writing, etc.?
What are your expectations for the amount of time I should spend each day/week in your lab/working in the research group/working on a research project?
What regularly scheduled activities (e.g., group meetings, joint group meetings, research clubs) does your group participate in that provide an opportunity to get outside input on my research project and to hear about the work of other students and postdocs?
Do you encourage your students to attend seminars and journal clubs, including those that may be outside of their narrow field of interest/research?
Do students in your group/lab have the opportunity to attend professional meetings where they can interact with colleagues/researchers from other institutions?
Do you include your graduate students in professional activities that will familiarize them with their field of interest/research, such as reviewing manuscripts and meeting with visiting speakers?
How long do you think it should take me to get my degree?
What are your former graduate students (if any) doing now?
What is your general philosophy of graduate training and what goals do you have for your graduate students?

No faculty member is obligated to accept a student’s request to serve as advisor, though invitations are often accepted unless the faculty member judges that a different advisor would serve your needs better.

Changing Your Advisor

As the advisor-student relationship is one of mutual agreement, it may be terminated by either party. If you decide that you would prefer working with a different advisor, discuss this with your prospective advisor to seek the change.

Permission from the Graduate Program Director must be obtained prior to changing a Dissertation advisor. A new advisor must be identified by the student before the end of the term during which the change will take place.

Giving and Receiving Feedback

New students will meet with the Graduate Program Director at least three times during their first year: (1) at orientation to receive feedback regarding their enrollment, (2) near the start of the first semester, to discuss an initial Plan of Study, and (3) by the end of their first year to discuss their progress.

After their first year in the program, the students’ progress will be evaluated on an annual basis by the faculty advisor and/or the Graduate Program Director. This annual assessment reviews the student’s performance in course work, in research work, in assistantship positions, and in completing other program requirements. This annual assessment may also include an update to the student’s Plan of Study. Students that require an annual progress review will be notified to submit their annual progress report.

Program Costs and Fees

Refer to the College of Graduate Studies admissions cost website for the most updated information about graduate tuition and fees: https://studentaccounts.ucf.edu/tf-graduate/

How to Get Involved

UCF and the Physics Department support the reality that education should influence and improve people’s lives beyond the university classroom. Since its inception, this idea has guided the university’s work.

As a graduate student at UCF, you have a multitude of opportunities to become involved on campus and in your academic discipline. This involvement often enhances your academic, professional, and personal growth through developing advanced leadership, communication, and collaboration skills. It also provides opportunity for professional networking.

The department has various opportunities for you to get involved, such as: joining a graduate student organization, mentoring other students, and participating in graduate committees. There are numerous outreach events organized by the department as well, and there is always a need for graduate student help with such events. The graduate student section of the department’s webpage has some information about these items; the department’s Outreach Committee chair and Robinson Observatory director will also make such opportunities known.

Note that there are additional activities that are described in the “Other Program Requirements and Activities” section below.

Curriculum Section

Admission Requirements

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions and Registration section of the Graduate Catalog and the Physics Master’s/Doctoral Handbook. Applicants must apply online.

Information about admission to the Planetary and Space Sciences program itself can be found in the Graduate Catalog’s pages about the Ph.D. program. There is also information on the Physics Department website and on the Planetary Sciences Group website.

Note that students must be specifically admitted to the Graduate Planetary and Space Sciences (PSS) program. Current UCF graduate students who are in another program (even if it is a Physics Department-based graduate program) must apply to be admitted to the PSS program. Both external and internal applications are considered by the Planetary Graduate Admissions Committee.

Degree Requirements

Planetary and Space Sciences PhD

We require a minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the Bachelor’s degree or 42 hours beyond the Master’s degree. This includes completion of 6 core courses (18 hours) listed below, 5 electives (15 hours) of regular coursework selected in consultation with the student’s Supervisory Committee, a minimum of 15 hours of dissertation (AST 7980), and the remaining 24 hours of appropriately selected research and elective courses. Courses must be selected so that at least one-half of the 72 hours are at 6000 level or higher. No more than 12 hours of independent study (AST 6908) may be credited toward the Ph.D. degree. The Ph.D. includes a Candidacy Exam to be taken after the completion of the core courses, a written dissertation, and a dissertation defense before the student’s Dissertation Committee.

Planetary and Space Sciences Core Courses

The core is designed to give students a broad foundation in the planetary and space sciences and a rapid training in the data analysis techniques that will be necessary for a successful research and publications.

AST 5151: Physics of Planetary Processes. Provides an overview of the physical basis of molecular spectroscopy, radiative transfer basics, thermodynamics and condensed matter physics from the perspective of planetary science.
AST 5154: Advanced Planetary Geophysics. The physics of planetary evolution, planetary interiors, and planetary surface processes.
AST 5263: Advanced Observational Astronomy. Design of scientific observing programs, acquiring astronomical data sets, applied astronomical data reduction, analysis of sources of observational error, publication of results.
AST 5765C: Advanced Astronomical Data Analysis. Techniques for processing astronomical data including programming approaches for data analysis, probability, statistics, error propagation, astronomical detectors and their calibration, model fitting.
AST 6165: Planetary Atmospheres. The physics and chemistry that govern the behavior of the atmospheres of Earth and other planets including atmospheric dynamics, vertical chemistry, radiative transfer, gas spectroscopy, and cloud microphysics.
PHY 6246: Classical Mechanics. Variational principles. Lagrange, Hamiltonian, and Poisson bracket formulations of mechanics. Hamilton’s principle of least action. Hamilton-Jacobi theory. Perturbation theory. Continuous systems. Chaos.

Planetary and Space Sciences Electives

The 39 credit hours of electives (15 regular plus 24 additional) can be satisfied by the following courses. A range of graduate physics, chemistry, optical sciences, and mathematics courses useful for the student’s area of research can be taken as electives. Electives should be chosen with the advice and consent of the student’s advisor and Supervisory Committee. Graduate courses not in the list below may count with the approval of the student’s Supervisory Committee and Graduate Program Director.

Planetary science (i.e. AST-prefix) specific electives are as follows:

AST 5145: Advanced Asteroids, Comets, and Meteorites. An advanced study of physical, chemical, mineralogical and orbital characteristics of asteroids, comets, and meteorites, with an emphasis on the origin of our solar system.
AST 6112: Origin and Evolution of Planetary Systems. Formation of planetary systems beginning with the proto-stellar clouds, collapse, condensation, particle-disk interactions, accretion models, formation of satellites, what has been learned from observations of extra-solar planets, and the physics of magnetic fields generated by planetary bodies.
AST 5334: Extra-Solar Planets and Brown Dwarfs. An advanced course on the physics of substellar-mass objects, their formation, evolution, dynamics, detection, and environments. This includes the gravitational collapse of molecular clouds, the dynamics of planetary evolution in extrasolar systems, the evolution of Brown Dwarfs, and the habitability of extrasolar worlds.
AST 5038: Astrobiology. Interdisciplinary branch of science that deals with the origins, development, and fate of life on Earth and in extraterrestrial environments.
AST 6156: Current Topics in Planetary Sciences. Also known as “Planetary Astronomy Seminar.” Review and analyze current advances in planetary science, particularly science results from recent discoveries. The focus of the course will vary depending on current discoveries. This course may be repeated for credit; it may be used in the degree program a maximum of 3 times.
AST 6938: Special Topics. Advanced, topical, seminar course focused on major new developments in planetary astronomy including recent results from NASA/ESA missions. This course would be taught with a new topic each time. This course may be repeated for credit.
AST 6918: Directed Research.

Electives in the Physics Department (with PHY and PHZ prefix) and in other departments include:

PHZ 5505: Plasma Physics
PHY 5524: Statistical Physics
PHY 5346: Electrodynamics I
PHY 6347: Electrodynamics II
PHY 5606: Quantum Mechanics I
PHY 6624: Quantum Mechanics II
MAP 6469: Bayesian Analysis and Approximation Theory
OSE 5041: Introduction to Wave Optics
OSE 5312: Light Matter Interaction
EEL 5820: Image Processing

Other Program Requirements and Activities

Within the first semester of admission to the program, each student must select, by mutual agreement, a faculty advisor. Within the first semester in the program, the student must also have at least two other faculty members serve on the Supervisory Committee.

In a case where a student does not have a research advisor around the start of their first semester, a three-faculty Supervisory Committee will be assigned to the student, with the expectation that the committee membership will be modified once the student joins a research group.

A quorum for Supervisory Committee meetings is three faculty members. UCF faculty (including teaching and research faculty) and non-UCF planetary and space scientists who are qualified to be Graduate Faculty Scholars are eligible to serve on Supervisory Committees. Scientists in other disciplines are also eligible to serve if they bring relevant expertise (and are qualified to be a Graduate Faculty Scholar). Creation of and changes in the membership of a Supervisory Committee must be approved by the Planetary Graduate Committee. The advisor is expected to meet regularly with the student. The full Committee shall meet with the student at least once per year to review and make recommendations regarding the student’s academic progress.

Participating in related academic activities outside the classroom is integral to becoming a professional planetary/space scientist. These activities are essential to developing the broad background, critical thinking, and public speaking skills required for success in this field. In addition to the items mentioned in the “How to Get Involved” section earlier, there is: Journal Club, seminars, outreach events, and the Physics Department Colloquium. Attendance and active participation at these events are either mandatory or strongly encouraged for students.

Planetary Science Journal Club: A weekly forum that provides students with the opportunity to hone their skills while helping everyone keep current with the latest research. Typically, a graduate student picks an interesting recent scientific paper and presents the research outlined. Journal clubs may also be used by faculty and visiting scientists to present current research results. Lively discussion and critical questions are journal club traditions. Attendance is mandatory. Note also that each pre-candidacy student must have given a minimum of two full-length (i.e., hour-long) Planetary Science Journal Club presentations (or other hour-long scientific presentations in other relevant contexts) before their Candidacy Exam. These generally should be about published, peer-reviewed journal papers that the student is not otherwise involved with, should discuss each paper’s science results, and should include time for discussion led by the student.
Seminars: An occasional forum that brings some of the leading researchers in planetary and space science to UCF. The seminar is usually organized by the Physics Department or the Florida Space Institute. The seminar is usually broadcast, and speakers are often in remote locations, so students can participate remotely as well. Participation is strongly encouraged.
Department Colloquium: The Physics Department sponsors periodic colloquia, some of which are focused on planetary science, space science, geophysics, or astrophysics topics. Attendance is strongly encouraged for these colloquia.
Outreach: Part of planetary/space science is active outreach to the general community to communicate the excitement of planetary exploration to the taxpayers who make it possible. Graduate students are strongly encouraged to participate in such outreach events. For example, Robinson Observatory organizes periodic public and private stargazing events (e.g. “Knights Under The Stars”). Graduate students can also propose and carry out new outreach ideas.

Sample Plan of Study/Course Sequence/Completion Timeline

For students starting in the Fall of an odd year (e.g. 2025), the following sequence is one possible path through the program coursework. The total time listed here to complete the PhD is 4 years, though note that in many cases the post-candidacy dissertation research extends into a 5^th and 6^th year simply because there is a lot to get done for the dissertation. That is not generally a programmatic problem, with the student usually just taking additional AST 7980 credit hours.

Year 1

Fall	Spring	Summer
AST 5765C Advanced Astronomical Data Analysis (3 credits)	AST 5263 Advanced Observational Astronomy (3 credits)	AST 6918 Directed Research (6 credits)
PHY 6246 Classical Mechanics (3 credits)	AST 6165 Planetary Atmospheres (3 credits)
AST 5151 Physics of Planetary Processes (3 credits)	Elective (3 credits)
Credits in Term/Accumulated: 9/9	Credits in Term/Accumulated: 9/18	Credits in Term/Accumulated: 6/24

Year 2

Fall	Spring	Summer
Elective (3 credits)	AST 5154 Advanced Planetary Geophysics (3 credits)	AST 6918 Directed Research (6 credits)
Elective (3 credits)	Elective (3 credits)
Elective (3 credits)	Elective (3 credits)
Credits in Term/Accumulated: 9/33	Credits in Term/Accumulated: 9/42	Credits in Term/Accumulated: 6/48

Year 3

Fall	Spring	Summer
Elective (3 credits)	AST 7980 Dissertation (3 credits)	AST 7980 Dissertation (3 credits)
Elective (3 credits)
Elective (3 credits)
(This is the earliest semester that the student can submit paperwork to advance to candidacy.)
Credits in Term/Accumulated: 9/57	Credits in Term/Accumulated: 3/60	Credits in Term/Accumulated: 3/63

Year 4

Fall	Spring	Summer
AST 7980 Dissertation (3 credits)	AST 7980 Dissertation (3 credits)	AST 7980 Dissertation (3 credits)
Credits in Term/Accumulated: 3/66	Credits in Term/Accumulated: 3/69	Credits in Term/Accumulated: 3/72

Statement of Graduate Research

Research is a fundamental part of the Planetary and Space Sciences PhD Program. Starting with Directed Research hours (AST 6918) and then continuing with Doctoral Dissertation courses (AST 7980), students gain a solid experience in how to conduct competitive research programs. It is expected that they will adhere to the highest standards of conduct and act responsibly. Academic dishonesty and plagiarism are sufficient for the dismissal of the student from the Program. For additional information, refer to the College of Graduate Studies Academic Honesty flyer.

Students should also be aware that any laboratory or experimental work must comply with certain regulations and safety standards set by UCF. Students should discuss this subject with their research supervisor before starting any laboratory research activity. Additional information about required laboratory training and training registration may be found online at the UCF Environmental Health & Safety website at https://ehs.ucf.edu/training.

It is expected that the research carried out during a PhD program will result in publications in specialized, peer-reviewed journals and in technical communications during professional meetings and conferences. While there is no publication requirement for the dissertation defense, the student’s Dissertation committee and research advisor may make reasonable publication requirements for the student to complete.

Ethics in Research

Researchers in every discipline have a responsibility for ethical awareness as the status of the profession rests with each individual researcher. It is important to be honest and ethical in conducting research as well as in taking classes. The ethical collection and use of information include, but is by no means limited to, the following: confidentiality, accuracy, relevance, self-responsibility, honesty, and awareness of conflict of interest. Find out more about the UCF Center for Ethics and their collaboration with the Pathways to Success Program to provide ethics-based workshops at https://graduate.ucf.edu/academic-integrity-training/.

Note that our professional societies also have ethics statements that members are bound to adhere to, e.g.: American Astronomical Society, American Geophysical Union, Meteoritical Society, International Astronomical Union, European Geosciences Union, Royal Astronomical Society.

Patent and Invention Policy

Refer to the UCF Patent and Invention Policy for additional information.

Examination Section

Candidacy Exam

The Planetary and Space Sciences PhD program requires that a student take a Candidacy Exam after the completion of the core courses. Ideally, this exam will be taken at the end of the second year in the track, and no later than the end of the third year. Note that while the student technically need only complete the core courses before taking the exam, the Supervisory committee may require the student to have completed most or all of the elective courses before the exam.

This exam is composed of a written component and an oral exam. The written and oral components will be administrated by the student’s Supervisory Committee. The Committee will assess the student’s capacity to do independent scientific research, and thus the likelihood of a successful dissertation. Students, advisors, and Supervisory Committees should discuss and assess how this requirement will be satisfied throughout the pre-candidacy period.

The written component of the exam is a journal-level original research paper that has either been accepted for publication or submitted for publication. The student must be the first author of the paper. The Supervisory Committee may allow an exception for a paper that is ready for submission but not yet submitted for a reason beyond the student’s control (e.g., there is a co-author who has promised but not delivered comments). A substantial component (20% or more by some measure, as assessed by the Supervisory Committee) of the paper must represent original, master’s-level, creative work of the student so that the Committee may evaluate whether the student can produce original work for the Dissertation. The work should not have been merely repetitive of work done by someone else in the same research group. Successful examples include (but are not limited to): writing original data analysis code, doing new theoretical or predictive calculations, writing or extending a theoretical model, converting a large analysis code between languages (including testing, documentation, and description in the paper), and making a discovery and following up its implications.

A student must give the written examination paper to the Supervisory Committee 14 calendar days before the scheduled oral examination. Committee members are expected to read it and give a preliminary indication to the Committee chair as to its acceptability four days thereafter. The preliminary indication of acceptability for a written examination paper is noncommittal. Rather, it is intended to avoid obvious failures. By the start of the eighth day before the examination, the official version of the paper is due, and the Committee must decide whether to allow the oral examination to proceed. If the examination does not proceed, either due to the decision of the Supervisory Committee or that of the student, the student is deemed not to have taken either part of the examination. If the exam proceeds, the student must then post notices of the presentation through the Departmental Program Assistant, following departmental procedures. Both the written and oral Candidacy examinations are deemed to take place at the time of the oral examination.

The oral examination is in two parts: (1) A public presentation (approximately 45 minutes long) of the research contained in the paper, including the traditional question and answer period (approximately 10-15 minutes long) of a scientific presentation; and (2) private questioning on the detail of the presented research as well as the topics covered in the student’s preparation and coursework. During the private questioning, the Supervisory Committee can question the student on their research and on any of the topics covered in the student’s course work. This questioning should be at least 15 minutes from each member of the Committee.

It is the job of the Committee to determine whether the paper, the research done by the student, the presentation, the responses to questions, and their experience with the student sufficiently demonstrate that the student is prepared to conduct independent research at the PhD level. Journal acceptance or rejection and the content of reviews may inform the Committee’s decision, but the ultimate decision rests with the Committee.

The committee must decide on the result of the exam at the end of the exam. The following outcomes are possible for either examination:

Pass
Pass conditioned on revisions or additional coursework
Retake
Retake after additional coursework
Fail with option for Master’s degree
Fail without option for Master’s degree

Passes conditioned on revisions are handled as follows: all Committee members sign the appropriate paperwork except the advisor. The advisor signs the paperwork when satisfied with the revisions. If there are comments to the student and/or conditions for the student to satisfy, they must be delivered to the student within three days after the exam.

The student is responsible for bringing to the exam any paper forms that need the Committee’s signatures, and for sending to the Committee immediately after the exam links to any online forms that need to be filled out and/or signed.

Students may only retake an examination once, and must do so within one year, or immediately after the next offering of a required course, whichever occurs later. If the student fails the examination a second time or fails to retake the examination within the specified period, the student is dismissed from the program.

Scheduling of Candidacy Exam

The student is responsible for all scheduling and logistical arrangements for the exam. The student must reserve a room for the exam for no less than 3 hours. Notices of the public portion of the exam detailing the time, place, and title must be posted through the department 2 weeks and 1 week in advance, through the department manner similar to that for a departmental colloquium which includes e-mails to the department list. Note that these notices should be sent to researchers in the Florida Space Institute as well. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure they are notified.

Dissertation Section

Dissertation Committee Details

Generally, the Dissertation Committee (a.k.a. Dissertation Advisory Committee) consists of the Supervisory Committee plus a planetary/space scientist outside of UCF who has a substantial and creditable research record. This is a program requirement that satisfies the College of Graduate Studies requirement for a member outside the UCF Planetary and Space Sciences Graduate Field. Scientists in other disciplines are also eligible to serve if they bring relevant expertise (and are qualified to be a Graduate Faculty Scholar). The Dissertation Committee Chair is the research advisor; co-chairs are allowed. The Committee must have at least four members. Sometimes more members are valuable, but note that scheduling meetings and satisfying members becomes increasingly difficult with more members.

The Dissertation Committee should meet at least annually, fulfilling the duties and following the procedures of Supervisory Committees. In addition, career mentoring and post-degree plans should be part of the Committee’s and advisor’s discussions with the student.

Dissertation Proposal

The Dissertation Proposal may be presented immediately after the Candidacy Exam or in a separate meeting generally not more than one semester thereafter. It is presented to the Dissertation Committee; all members must attend (in person or remotely). The Dissertation proposal is not formally an examination in the Planetary and Space Sciences program. The Committee may direct any form of presentation it desires and may question the student. Before substantial work is done on the dissertation, the Dissertation Committee must approve the proposal and must also assess whether additional coursework is necessary to begin the dissertation. Such coursework should be completed at the earliest opportunity. The Dissertation Proposal should be approximately 15 pages and shall contain the following:

A title.
The student’s name and degree program.
An abstract.
A listing of the Supervisory/Dissertation Committee identifying the advisor, chair (generally the same person as the advisor, unless the advisor is external to UCF), and external member (by affiliation).
The scientific background of the proposed work. This should include work already done by the student prior to Candidacy.
A listing of science questions to be addressed, i.e. a listing of broader overarching science questions that the dissertation will pertain to.
A statement of scientific objectives, i.e. a statement of specific scientific objectives that will be achieved by the particular work of the dissertation.
A dissertation outline that includes a list of chapters along with a brief summary of the chapter contents and the status of the work that will be included in that chapter (e.g. complete, in progress, TBD).
A work plan that includes methods, data or computational requirements, schedule, and proposed defense date.
List of the candidate’s relevant publications and scientific presentations.
Cited references.

Dissertation Overview, Form, and Content

A doctoral dissertation is a comprehensive document detailing original research that was carried out by the student in order to earn a PhD degree. The ultimate purpose of a doctoral dissertation is to present the details of how the research has been performed and conclusions that have been reached for their assigned projects.

Students are strongly encouraged to enroll in the Thesis & Dissertation course on Webcourses to learn more about steps in preparation for their dissertation defense. Students should refer to the Graduate Catalog for the most current information related to the Dissertation requirements. The length of the Doctoral dissertation will be dictated by the nature of research performed and decided on by the supervisor. The students are advised to check on the STARS website and/or ask their supervisor for copies of dissertations of previous PhD students.

Dissertation Defense

The Dissertation Defense is the final requirement for the PhD and consists of a public presentation of the dissertation, typically lasting 60 minutes including the traditional question and answer period of a scientific presentation, followed by private questioning by the Dissertation Committee (lasting another 60-120 minutes). This questioning should be at least 15 minutes from each member of the Committee. Revisions to the dissertation may be required as part of the defense.

A student must submit the written dissertation to the Dissertation Committee 14 calendar days before the scheduled oral defense. Committee members are expected to read it and give a preliminary indication to the Committee chair as to its acceptability four days after receipt. The preliminary indication of acceptability for the dissertation is noncommittal. Rather, it is intended to avoid obvious failures. By the start of the eighth day before the defense, the official version of the dissertation is due, and the Committee must decide whether to allow the oral defense to proceed. If the defense does not proceed, either due to decision of the Dissertation Committee or that of the student, the student is deemed not to have defended. If the defense will proceed, the student must then post notices of the presentation through the Departmental Program Assistant, following departmental procedures.

The committee must decide on the result of the defense at the end of the defense. The following outcomes are possible for the defense:

Approval of the dissertation
Approval subject to revisions to be approved by the advisor
Required re-defense

If there are comments to the student and/or conditions for the student to satisfy, they must be delivered to the student within three days after the defense.

A re-defense must occur within one year. At the second defense the re-defense option is replaced by options for a Master’s degree or failure and removal from the program without a conferred degree.

Additional Relevant Information

The dissertation must comply with all College of Graduate Studies style requirements. Any subsequent revision, no matter when presented, must be accompanied by a list of all changes (including trivial corrections of spelling, etc.) made since the prior official submission to the Dissertation Committee. A separate electronic “redline” version of the dissertation is acceptable for this purpose (deletions are indicated by red or strike-through text; green or boxed text indicates insertions; and marginal change bars indicate lines containing changes, to help find small alterations that might otherwise be missed). Committees will generally not accept revisions between the defense submission and the defense itself, but may choose to do so in exceptional circumstances.

The student is responsible for all scheduling and logistical arrangements for the defense. The student must reserve a room for the defense for no less than 3 hours. Notices of the public portion of the defense detailing the time, place, and title must be posted through the department 2 weeks and 1 week in advance, through the department manner similar to that for a departmental colloquium which includes e-mails to the department list. Note that these notices should be sent to researchers in the Florida Space Institute as well. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure they are notified.

The student is responsible for bringing to the defense any paper forms that need the Committee’s signatures, and for sending immediately to the committee after the defense links to online forms that need signatures.

The student is responsible for bringing to the exam any paper forms that need the Committee’s signatures, and for sending immediately to the Committee after the defense links to any online forms that need to be filled out and/or signed

Students should present the following information to the Committee at the defense: Degree audit showing that all requirements up to the defense have been satisfied, listing of publications, listing of presentations, and scientific meetings attended.

University Dissertation Requirements

There are specific university deadlines related to the final semester and the dissertation defense listed in the College of Graduate Studies’ Thesis/Dissertation website. The critical deadlines are the format deadline, the defense deadline, and the final completion date. It is the student’s responsibility to meet all of Graduate Studies’ requirements and deadlines.

Exit Interview

The department requires that there be an exit interview before the student graduates. Generally, this is an in-person meeting between the student and the Program Director, and it usually happens at some point after the successful PhD defense but before the final version of the dissertation is submitted to UCF. There is a form on the department website that must be signed by the student and the Program Director at the end of the interview, and then returned to the Admissions Coordinator.

Program and Institutional Policies

Admission to Candidacy

After passing the Candidacy Exam, completing all required pre-candidacy coursework (including the minimum number of elective credits), and assembling an acceptable Dissertation Committee, the student is declared a PhD Candidate, assuming all the relevant paperwork has been submitted to the College of Graduate Studies by the appropriate deadlines. Note that to be officially considered a PhD candidate in semester N the student must generally meet many paperwork and exam deadlines that occur during semester N-1. In particular, if semester N-1 is a summer semester, many deadlines occur quite early. The student must pay attention to the deadlines given on the UCF calendar.

Note that generally a student must complete all 57 pre-candidacy credit hours before advancing to candidacy. This includes 18 credit hours from core-courses, 15 credit hours from regular electives, and 24 credit hours from additional electives. In some cases, if the student has completed at least 51 of the 57 credit hours (with the remaining 6 credit hours being just electives), then CGS may (at their discretion) allow the student to advance to candidacy anyway.

Students who advance to candidacy – and who do not already have an MS in the field – may be awarded an MS degree “along the way” in Planetary and Space Sciences (see below).

Candidates may register for Dissertation Research (i.e. AST 7980) credits and are required to take fewer credits – 3, as opposed to 6 or 9 – to maintain full time status in that semester. Note that a student must enroll in at least three hours of dissertation coursework one (1) semester of every three (3) consecutive semesters in order to maintain active status. Do also note however that under most typical circumstances a candidate will register for dissertation research every semester until they graduate.

Additional courses may still be taken as a candidate, in consultation with the Dissertation Committee and advisor. It is thus desirable to be designated as a candidate as soon as possible after passing the Candidacy Exam.

As the Examination is frequently taken immediately before a new semester begins, students are advised to look at the requirements closely and do as many tasks as possible in advance of the Examination. This includes identifying Dissertation Committee members, getting the program’s approval for the proposed Committee, collecting the CVs of members who are not yet UCF Graduate Faculty Scholars, and registering them as such with Graduate Studies.

Master’s Along the Way

Students who advance to candidacy may be awarded an MS “along the way” degree in Planetary and Space Sciences. This MS degree would only be for students who are working on their PhD in this program, though note that students who already have an MS degree in the field or in a very similar field could not be awarded this MS “along the way” degree.

Please consult the Graduate Catalog for more details on the requirements for this MS “along the way” degree. Note that currently (2025-26 academic year) this is the only form of an MS degree offered in the Planetary and Space Sciences program.

Committee Meeting, Exam, and Defense Procedures

In general, for a committee meeting, exam, or defense, the student should take note of the following procedures:

Students should present the following information to the Committee during annual meetings: program of study form, listing of publications, listing of presentations and scientific meetings attended, schedule of courses to be taken.
Students should present an overview of their research program and a work plan for achieving their research goals. This plan should include a schedule of the work and a list of planned publications.
Students should briefly present the results and progress of their research since their last Committee meeting. The Committee members are expected to give advice and direction for the student’s research, coursework, and other experiences in graduate school.
The presentation is the student’s responsibility. The student should:
- Be SURE that the presentation actually runs on the computer/projection system in the meeting room.
- Be SURE that the plots and presentation materials are easily visible and of publication quality.
- Be SURE that the spelling, punctuation, and grammar are of publication quality.
- Be SURE to have a working pointer, working markers and eraser, and necessary presentation materials.
- Be SURE to have the necessary paperwork for Committee signatures and links to online forms that need the Committee signatures.
- If you have a “remote” Committee member, be SURE to reserve a room where such remote access will be feasible. Note that there are often setup and connection issues that need to be resolved, so plan on starting the connection process at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the exam/meeting.
The student should review the timeline presented at the previous meeting and show how planned work has translated into progress.
Students in post-candidacy status should present a dissertation plan that includes the chapters of their proposed dissertation. They should also outline their plans for 1-2 years beyond the PhD for the work, if any portion of it is to carry beyond the PhD defense, and for employment. The Committee members are expected to give career advice. Following this advice is at the discretion of the student and will not affect the decisions of the Committee.

Review for Original Work (iThenticate)

It is the responsibility of the chair of the Dissertation/Supervisory Committee to have the dissertation reviewed through iThenticate in conformance to Graduate Studies requirements.

Absences

Students who anticipate that they may not be able to enroll continuously due to external circumstances should apply for Special Leave of Absence. Specifically, students who are taking courses should apply for a Special Leave of Absence when they cannot enroll in more than two consecutive semesters. Students who are in dissertation hours should apply for a Special Leave of Absence when they cannot enroll in one semester of every three consecutive semesters to maintain active student status.

To qualify for a Special Leave of Absence, the student must demonstrate good cause (e.g., illness, family issues, financial difficulties, personal circumstances, recent maternity/paternity, employment issues). The specific reason for the Leave of Absence request must be indicated by the student on the Leave of Absence Form. Due to current U.S. government regulations, international students must be enrolled every fall and spring semester. For students in this category, a Special Leave of Absence is only available for documented medical reasons.

Academic Standards/Conduct/Integrity

It is expected that students will adhere to the highest standards of conduct and act responsibly. Academic dishonesty and plagiarism are sufficient for the dismissal of the student from the Program. For additional information, refer to the College of Graduate Studies Academic Honesty flyer or to the UCF Golden Rule.

Annual Review

All PhD students are required to conduct an annual self-review of their progress in the program. The effort of this requirement is to make sure students are tracking correctly as it relates to programmatic course work and milestones. The other element of the annual review is to assess how doctoral students in the program are progressing academically. The student’s progress as described in their own review will be additionally reviewed by their research advisor and by the Program Director. Where deficiencies exist, the annual review is to address these as early as possible so appropriate remedies can be provided.

Appeals/Grievances

It is the student’s responsibility to be cognizant of graduate policies and procedures; however, should a student wish to request an exception to a university or program policy, they must file a petition that outlines the nature of their request. Normally, a petition is presented to the Graduate Program Director, the Supervisory/Dissertation committee, COS’s Director of Graduate Services, COS’s Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, and the Graduate Council for consideration.

Should a student wish to file a grievance, they should first review UCF’s Golden Rule (http://www.goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/) and the Academic Grievance Procedures in the Graduate Catalog.

Information about academic and non-academic appeals can be found on: the SDES website, the Golden Rule Student Handbook, and the Graduate Council’s Appeals Committee website.

Communication

UCF uses email as the official means of notifying students of important university business and academic information concerning registration, deadlines, financial assistance, scholarships, student accounts (including tuition and fees), academic progress and problems, and many other critical items for satisfactory completion of a UCF degree program. The university, college, and department send all business-related and academic messages to a student’s campus email address to ensure that there is one repository for that information. Every student must have and use a campus email account here and check it regularly to avoid missing important and critical information from the university.

Additionally, each student must have an up-to-date emergency e-mail address and cell phone number by which to be reached in case of a crisis on campus. This emergency contact information will be used only for emergency purposes. Also, both permanent and local mailing addresses must be on the record, so that any physical documents that must be mailed can be delivered.

It is critical that students maintain and regularly check their email account for official announcements and notifications. Communications sent to the campus email address on record will be deemed adequate notice for all university communication, include issues related to academics, finances, registration, parking, and all other matters. The University does not accept responsibility if official communication fails to reach a student who has not registered for, or maintained and checked on a regular basis, their email account. Please ensure that this information is current and that any changes in contact information are made online through the myUCF portal at https://my.ucf.edu/.

Continuous Enrollment

All graduate students are required to enroll in at least one (1) semester of every three (3) consecutive semesters in order to maintain active student status. Failure to enroll in 3 consecutive terms results in being discontinued from the program. After a student advances to candidacy, they are required to enroll in dissertation hours for at least one (1) semester of every three (3) consecutive semesters in order to maintain active student status. Refer to the institutional policy from the Graduate Catalog for more information about continuous enrollment. Do note that under most typical circumstances a graduate student will be enrolled every semester, including summers, not just 1 out of every 3 semesters.

Dismissal/Discipline

Satisfactory performance involves maintaining the standards of academic progress and professional integrity expected in a particular discipline or program. Failure to maintain these standards may result in termination of the student from the program. Refer to the Graduate Catalog Policies for Academic Progress and Performance for additional information.

Students are required to maintain a minimum 3.00 GPA in all coursework included in the program of study. Be aware that a B- (2.75) does negatively impact a GPA. While students are allowed to have six hours C+ (2.33) grades or lower (including U and I) in their program of study, this is the limit. Grades of D+ and lower will count against a graduate GPA and cannot be used toward completion of a degree requirement.

A program GPA below 3.00 at the end of any semester will result in a student being placed on “academic probationary” status. The student is given the next eighteen (18) hours of their program coursework to improve their GPA to 3.00 or better. Furthermore, exceeding 6 hours of C or lower grades, or a program GPA of 2.00 or lower, will result in dismissal from the program. Details about university policies regarding low GPAs and dismissals can be found in the Graduate Catalog page on “Academic Progress and Performance.”

Harassment

Discrimination on the basis of race, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital status, parental status, veterans’ status, sexual orientation, or genetic information is prohibited.

Sexual harassment, a form of sex discrimination, is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature including any of these three situations:

Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment or enrollment.
Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment or enrollment decisions affecting such individual.
Such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual’s work performance or enrollment, or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or academic environment.

Sexual harassment is strictly prohibited. Occurrences will be dealt with in accordance with the guidelines above and university rules. Employees, students, or applicants for employment or admission may obtain further information on this policy, including grievance procedures, from the Coordinator at the Office of Nondiscrimination & Accommodations Compliance (ONAC). The Director of ONAC is the campus Equity Coordinator responsible for concerns in all areas of discrimination. The office is located on the main campus, in Barbara Ying CMMS Building 81, Suite 101. The phone number is (407) 823-1336. Policies and guidelines are available online at the ONAC website.

International Students

Several types of employment are available to international students, including on-campus employment. For more information about the types of employment available to international students, and the requirements and restrictions based on visa-type, please see the UCF Global website.

International students who will be hired in GTA positions must be proficient at speaking English. For GTA Associates, this is determined by successfully passing the Versant English test with a score of at least 70 (or 69 prior to January 2025). For international students to register for or inquire about the Versant English test, please contact UCF Global: 407/823-5515 or visit UCF Global’s English Test webpage. When applicable, students may request an exemption.

Transfer Credit

Students who wish to transfer eligible graduate credit hours from another institution, program, or degree must be sure to do the following items within their first semester in the program, but preferably much earlier than that, i.e. during Orientation or very soon after.

Complete the credit hours transfer section of their initial Plan of Study form,
Provide relevant, detailed course syllabi (and a short course-by-course comparison with UCF courses, if necessary) and a GPA calculation to the Graduate Program Director and Graduate Admissions Coordinator,
Meet with the Graduate Program Director to discuss the transfer.
Check that UCF has the final, official transcript on file that includes the grades for the courses that are to be transferred.

It is important that transfer credit paperwork be taken care of as soon as possible during the student’s first semester since there is no guarantee that CGS will approve later requests. More information about transfer credit is in the Graduate Catalog.

Office Space

A shared office space is provided for all GTAs. Office space for GRAs may be assigned if there is such space available in the department. Students must keep their assigned offices/work areas neat and clean, or their office space assignment will be revoked.

Additional Program Details

GTA Funding

The Physics Department offers financial support to incoming doctoral students in the form of Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs). They are guaranteed in the Fall and Spring terms during the first year, provided the student maintains good academic standing and depending on available departmental funds. They may also be offered during summer terms depending on the availability of positions and departmental funds. All graduate students hired as GTAs are required to enroll as full-time students, which means enrolling in at least 9 credit hours during Fall and Spring terms and 6 credit hours in the Summer if they have not yet passed the candidacy exam. GTA positions are not guaranteed after a student’s first year in the program, but typically second year students who did not receive a Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) receive a GTA position.

It is important that all students communicate their interest in renewing their GTA to the Graduate Admissions Coordinator as soon as possible, but absolutely no later than two months before the beginning of the next term, and extremely preferably by the deadline(s) posted for the GTA Waitlist on the Department of Physics Graduate Program GTA webpage. Students can sign-up for the GTA waitlist to be considered for available positions for the semester(s) they are not supported by a GRA or other type of funding.

Note that in UCF’s parlance, the FTE (Full-Time Employment) of a GTA is 0.50, corresponding to 20 hours of effort per week. All GTAs include a full tuition waiver for enrollment in 9 credit hours per term in Fall and Spring, or 6 credit hours in Summer (when pre-candidacy) and 3 credit hours per term (post-candidacy). The default is for GTAs to be responsible for paying their fees, though sometimes the fees can be paid by a faculty advisor. All graduate students with an assistantship and full-time status are considered in-state students. If a student does not maintain full-time status, they may no longer be eligible for a graduate assistantship and out of state fees will not be waived.

Partial GTAs are possible and would correspond to a proportionally smaller effort and stipend.

GTA assignments are based on academic standing, past performance, and availability of funds. Students who want to be considered for these positions must register at least two months in advance to minimize conflicts between their course schedule and teaching assignments.

GRA Funding

Regular and affiliated faculty members of the Physics Department often pay graduate research assistants to do research on their projects. These positions go by the name of Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs). Most frequently, a GRA is available when the faculty member has won an external grant.

Students are required to be in good academic standing to take GRAs. Tuition remission is provided by the hiring faculty as a tuition payment, and the advisor has the option to cover the fees as well. GRA positions can be renewed, depending upon mutual interest and the supervisor’s funds availability/success at winning external grants.

Students are expected to make a transition from GTA to GRA by the time they pass the candidacy exam, though this often depends on the advisor’s ability to win external grants. Sometimes the advisor is so successful that the transition happens before the candidacy exam, and in some cases the student can be a GRA from the very start of their first semester in the program.

Job Search and Career Pathways

Students graduating from the Planetary and Space Sciences PhD program should be prepared for employment in industry, academia, national labs, or related employment. It is important for students to:

discuss their career goals with their advisors early in their graduate program so that the students can be sure to build the skillsets that will be most helpful for them in their future careers, and
use their time in the graduate program to build a network of collaborators, colleagues, and acquaintances in order to facilitate future job prospects.

The UCF Career Services website also has information in preparing for your career after graduation. Graduate career development issues are unique and include evaluating academic and nonacademic career choices, discussing graduate school effect on career choices, as well as learning, evaluating, and refining networking and interviewing skills. Whatever your needs, Career Services offers resources to aid in the career exploration and job search of Master and Doctoral students in every academic discipline.

Students can access information on development training via CGS’s Graduate Professional Development webpage.

CGS’s Office of Graduate Student Life provides a variety of services to support graduate students throughout their time at UCF and help prepare them for after graduation. More information about these opportunities for graduate students is at the Student Life website.

Forms

Graduate students will complete many forms during their time in the graduate program. The various forms and a brief description can be found on the Physics Department’s Graduate Program Website. Other forms can be found on the CGS Forms webpage.